EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ONLINE TRAINING COURSE FOR MEETING NEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH CAREGIVING BURDEN

Abstract Informal caregivers make up a critical part of long-term support in the communities due to their important role in caring for older adults living at home. Modern-day caregivers are facing greater responsibility and burden for managing their care recipients. The present study aimed to explore the effect of a caregiving training program in alleviating caregiver burden. This program included four standalone online modules each with specific foci. Completion of activities across the modules allowed for the creation of a Caregiver Action Plan which offered a personal and practical resource to the informal caregivers. This evaluation study was qualitative and a used thematic analysis method of data analysis. Data stemmed from semi-structured interviews with the caregivers and their reflections on the program’s discussion board. Most caregivers provided care for persons with dementia. Interviews with the family caregivers were conducted, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. Themes were identified through constant comparison and in an iterative process. The family caregivers demonstrated consensus on the efficacy of the program in raising competence and confidence and contributing to ameliorating burden levels. Important themes were identified in association with areas for which the caregivers needed support: Early dementia education, planning for future care, learning about navigating healthcare systems, peer support, enhancing self-care, and coping with emotional burden and self-blame. The findings will be informative in shaping the program based on the caregiver’s identified needs through addressing those areas that they would need support. These findings may offer recommendations to other programs designed to support the family caregivers.

should be person-centered. Learning behavioral skills requires more than watching a demonstration or cognitive learning; it requires practice, feedback and more practice. Online learning has become the best way to reach carers of older adults, partially due to the COVID pandemic and partially due to time, money and energy resources being stretched to their limits. The Validation Training Institute has developed 6 self-directed, online Skill Building Blocks that uses thematic instruction strategy, interactive exercises, and videos demonstrating why each skill is important and how to best utilize the skill in real life situations. Learners have completed pre and post-questionnaires using the Likert scale and the IMMS (Instructional Material Motivation Survey) which measures attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. An online focus group of participants concluded the data collection process. Techniques taught through Skill Building Blocks proved to be relevant to the learners' life experience. There was effective retention and transfer of skills, and the training proved to be motivating for continued application in the real world. Learners expressed confidence and satisfaction with the user-friendly, thematic design of each block.

AFTER THE STORM: SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS ASSISTING WITH FEMA DISASTER RELIEF FOR OLDER ADULTS Joy Ernst, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States
This poster describes a partnership during Fall 2021 between the Wayne State School of Social Work and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist older adults whose homes sustained damage during flooding in June 2021. This short-term project helped people access resources to repair and restore damaged homes, repair, or replace mechanical and electrical systems, deal with mold and other health hazards, and replace their personal belongings. Social work students trained by FEMA made over 700 outreach calls to homeowners whose applications for relief were rejected. The students worked with the homeowners to facilitate access to help that either resulted in the approval of their FEMA application (due to assistance with technical issues such as missing documentation or errors in the application) or connected them with alternative sources of help and support. A focus group with students provided insights on their motivations, training experiences, issues affecting the applicants, and skills developed. While FEMArequired training offered little relevant assistance, SSW staff and faculty overseeing the program provided ongoing support that students considered vital as they worked to assist applicants. Some homes were extensively damaged and resources available from FEMA were insufficient. Some homeowners suspected the students were scammers; students also learned of exploitation by contractors. Students honed empathy, reflection, and supportive listening skills as they heard stressors associated with maintaining their homes amidst losses due to covid and their knowledge of community resources expanded. Lessons learned to aid in future efforts to assist in disaster relief are described.

. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
The Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative aims to increase the participation of age-diverse older adults in higher education communities. The present study investigated agefriendly practices across 23 institutions in the United States. The ICCS Inventory (Silverstein et al., 2022), which identifies 192 potential age-friendly campus practices was completed by administrators representing major campus units. A heat map was used to graphically represent age-friendly practices and identify where universities differed in the presence of those practices. Heat map findings indicated campuses are low in some auxiliary services that assist retired faculty and staff. However, campuses consistently gave retired faculty and staff access to university library services. Campuses also had limited age-friendly teaching and learning services. None of the campuses reported having resources to help faculty deliver teaching materials in formats specifically geared toward older learners. In addition, none of the campuses reported having teaching and learning staff visiting campus departments to provide resources for older learners, and very few campuses offered courses that focused on aging and age diversity issues. Common age-friendly practices were seen with respect to providing instructional technology support for faculty/staff/students and community partnerships for intergenerational activities. Physical environment and personnel evidenced the most frequent age-friendly practices likely because they are mandated by the ADA (e.g., clear signage, handicapped parking close to buildings, spaces free of obstacles, training in ageism as a form of discrimination). Overall, the present study highlighted the areas where college campuses are most age inclusive, while also revealing areas for improvement in age inclusive practices. Shera Hosseini, Lorraine Carter, Donna Thomson, and Michelle Howard, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Informal caregivers make up a critical part of long-term support in the communities due to their important role in caring for older adults living at home. Modern-day caregivers are facing greater responsibility and burden for managing their care recipients. The present study aimed to explore the effect of a caregiving training program in alleviating caregiver burden. This program included four standalone online modules each with specific foci. Completion of activities across the modules allowed for the creation of a Caregiver Action Plan which offered a personal and practical resource to the informal caregivers. This evaluation study was qualitative and a used thematic analysis method of data analysis. Data stemmed from semi-structured interviews with the caregivers and their reflections on the program's discussion board. Most caregivers provided care for persons with dementia. Interviews with the family caregivers were conducted, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. Themes were identified through constant comparison and in an iterative process. The family caregivers demonstrated consensus on the efficacy of the program in raising competence and confidence and contributing to ameliorating burden levels. Important themes were identified in association with areas for which the caregivers needed support: Early dementia education, planning for future care, learning about navigating healthcare systems, peer support, enhancing selfcare, and coping with emotional burden and self-blame. The findings will be informative in shaping the program based on the caregiver's identified needs through addressing those areas that they would need support. These findings may offer recommendations to other programs designed to support the family caregivers. Marissa Mackiewicz, Patricia Slattum, and Leland Waters, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States Substance Use Disorder (SUD) affects people from all walks of life and age groups. Special considerations for older adults with SUD should be made secondary to the unique pathophysiological and socio-economic complexities of aging populations. Successful SUD treatment and recovery depends on access to essential support systems comprised of interprofessional teams as well as family, friends, and caregivers. Education on SUD for healthcare providers, caregivers and the community is a key component for combating the national opioid epidemic and the stigma that can be a barrier to recovery. A ten-minute video and an accompanying discussion guide were developed to present to clinical faculty and students participating in an interprofessional care coordination wellness clinic servicing low-income older adults living independently in the community setting. The video was designed to highlight stigma and ageism facing older adults with SUD and serve as the basis for discussion among learners. The process for creating and evaluating the video and discussion guide will be shared including the role of older adults with lived experience of SUD in the process. Information will be provided on SUD as a chronic disease and the importance of interprofessional and individualized patient care in recovery. Participants will be able to identify the significance of SUD related stigma in providing and seeking care, asses the role of mental/behavioral health in SUD, and learn about treatment options for SUD. This will allow for better identification of characteristics of older adult populations that place them at greater harm from the consequences SUD.

TUTORIAL-STYLE EDUCATION FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN AGING
Karley Deason, Nasreen Sadeq, and Brianne Stanback,

University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
At almost every university, there is an option for undergraduates to enroll in directed readings or research, independent studies, or some other form of tutorial-style education, although not much is known about them or best practices associated with them for undergraduate students interested in aging. This project reviews available literature about tutorial-style education and describes the multidimensions involved in these learning experiences.
Search phrases such as "history of Oxford tutorials", "tutorial classes", and "student traits in tutorials" were used in Google Scholar to find literature, returning 142 articles. Articles were included if the literature was published in a periodical, findings were not redundant, and measures connected to the objectives of this project, and, by these criteria, ten articles comprised the final sample for review. Student characteristics, instructors, and other factors, like the time intensity of the tutorial course and the student's connection to the subject area, have been found to impact tutorial-style education. The review is the first of its kind to use its findings to propose a set of best practices to enhance the experience for students interested in aging, including the fit of student and instructor, skillsets of successful students, and modalities, and advance a research agenda to better understand and communicate practices in tutorial-style education for undergraduates in aging. As universities seek ways to address decreasing enrollments and enhance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the concept of Age-Friendly Universities (AFU) has gained momentum. The AFU Global Movement is a way to situate a university to explore means to increase student enrollments, and expand DEI Initiatives to include age. This poster details the steps taken by St. Cloud State University, a comprehensive Minnesota State university, to become designated as an AFU, as well as the unique challenges encountered. Actions taken both before and after being designated as an Age Friendly University (December, 2021) are discussed. Predesignation steps included evaluating the campus' current age friendliness, gathering university and community support at all levels, participating as a "champion" in the UMass-Boston & LaSalle University's Age-Friendly University Inventory and Campus Climate survey, and piggy-backing on Minnesota's Age-Friendly State and the local community's Age-Friendly initiatives. The SCSU Gerontology program was awarded a grant from the MinnState Innovation Fund to explore ways of "Creating an Age-Friendly SCSU." The grantors saw this as a potential template for other universities in the system who were seeking to expand their student base. Post benefits, challenges, strategies and next steps working towards meeting the 10 Principles of an Age-Friendly University are also discussed.